Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 132031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 660(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 660(@200wpm)___ 528(@250wpm)___ 440(@300wpm)
This morning, Cash had given himself a deadline: one week to ride the current course of chaos. To learn the ins and outs of this case, and to secretly vet his assigned Dallas DEA street team, before he investigated the reasons why they did what they did. For seven days, he was nothing but a fly on the wall, gathering intel before moving forward.
By adding a cutoff date, it helped him ignore—for now—the lackadaisical boredom he found within the entire team. If something didn’t change, in eight days, he planned to reevaluate the strategies and actions of every person hired to handle anything to do with the Disciples.
“You have that old school special agent vibe about you,” Ben said, drawing Cash from his tactical planning. His focus zoomed back in on the present.
No matter what he’d conjured in his head, he didn’t actually like being on the inside of the Dallas DEA building, even with all the precautions they used to get him there. The Disciples had to have people on the inside. What if he were identified before he ever truly got started? Another egregiously misguided step.
“Sorry. They told me the gear was new. I’ve been trained on this before. I lost focus. Keep going.” Cash motioned away his lost focus with his hand, encouraging Ben to continue.
“No seriously. You look like 007. I’ve never seen any agent embody him so completely.”
Cash narrowed his eyes. Was this guy making fun of him? He looked down at his own body. He’d dressed in his standard undercover attire. Since he’d held this same cover for years, he’d built an extensive wardrobe of expensive formal clothing. He generally preferred his clothes to fit his body. If the clothes made the man, he felt more on his game in a suit and tie.
His weapon had been stowed at the door, but his clothing had been made to accommodate those additions too.
The specialist laughed at whatever he saw on Cash’s face. “It was supposed to be a compliment. To be honest, I’m not sure why they’re having you plant all this. They know everything about every club member.”
“You’re not to guide, Cross. He’s here to do a job.”
Cash’s brows lifted as he looked over his shoulder to see a woman, another business casual, appropriately dressed employee in the nearest cubicles. She didn’t look up from the monitor on her desk.
“Ignore Ben. He talks too much, but you do look good. Wish more of these guys cared enough to fill in their clothes like you do.”
“That’s Vernie. She’s the lead over our department,” Ben explained as if he hadn’t just been reprimanded.
Cash nodded, his gaze moving back to Ben, taking in what he might have missed about the man. What he had labeled as a young man might not be as young as he’d originally thought. Approximately five-eight with dark hair, dark eyes, military haircut. He wore khakis and a department-issued polo.
“There’s so much information, it’s been time consuming to get through it all,” Cash added, hoping to keep the two talking. He cut his gaze back over his shoulder. Vernie. She looked tough. Dark hair, dark eyes. A female lead usually meant she was smarter than everyone else and didn’t take shit off anyone.
“I’ve been on the case for three years, and I agree with you. We’re information heavy on that biker gang. We need someone to put it all together. We need action,” Ben declared and lifted a hand to Vernie when she cut her hard gaze to Ben. “That’s all I’m saying.”
Cash turned back to Ben and gave a single nod of understanding. He wholeheartedly agreed with the simple summation. “When it comes time for you to do a deep dive into the Dallas District Attorney and the biker member she had an affair with, know I planted that information.”
“Jesus, Ben,” Vernie said. “Shut your mouth. You’re coming on too strong no matter how badly you need a friend.”
Ben splayed a hand out in explanation, the camera equipment completely forgotten. “All I’m sayin’ is there’s only two possible answers. Either something isn’t being included in the mountain of intelligence we have or there’s nothing to find. Either way, we’re pumped you’re here. I’m ready to be reassigned to something else. Anything new. I’ve done a fire job here, but jeez. It’s too much. Did you see the part where that big one is dating that assistant district attorney? What’s up with the bikers and the district attorney’s office? But I’m secretly rooting for ’em. They look pretty happy together.”
Cash nodded, taking it all in. He’d touched on the details of Keyes Dixon’s double life while waiting for Dev to get home last night. “No one knows about those two?”
“Not that I can see in the data. Pretty bold of the biker. They’re all like that, just full of chaos, flipping off the world, all the time. Did you see the assistant district attorney’s father is Congressman Pierce, Speaker of the House?”